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http://emichigancity.com/news.htm#adams

Public Hearing On Redesign Of Adams Park

The Michigan City Park Department will be conducting public hearings to gather input for the redesign of Adams Park at the Park Office in Washington Park on the following dates:

March 5, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (immediately following the Park Board meeting)

March 19, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (immediately following the Park Board meeting)
For more information, contact the Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department at 219-873-1506.

[Southsider2k12]

I'm very interested in what happens here as this is where my softball team plays. I will say they are 100% right about drainage. A thunderstorm ruins the field for days. The fields themselves are really rough to play on.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50723.86

What would you do with Adams Park?

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Adams Park was once the city's premier facility for softball. That changed when Patriot Park opened and became the place city adult and children's leagues wanted to play.

Now the Michigan City Parks Department is taking a second look at Adams Park, on Southwind Drive on the city's South Side, and this year's budget has nearly a half million dollars for improvements at what is now a neighborhood park.

The Parks Department is calling on residents of the Southgate neighborhood for ideas about how to renovate Adams Park.

A group of kids shooting hoops at the park this week said they play basketball every chance they get and want to see better courts - and more of them. They also want restroom facilities and drinking fountains.

Jan Orlich, Parks Department superintendent, said park staff has brainstormed ideas such as developing a walking trail, creating a field for Pop Warner teams and perhaps adding a pavilion. The top priority, Orlich said, will be to take care of the drainage at the park.

Adams Park has some playground equipment, and Orlich said her department would like to bring it to the standards of Gardena Park, where neighbors teamed to build elaborate playground apparatus years ago.

The city's 2009 budget included $450,000 for improvements to Adams Park. The Parks Department has been working preliminarily with Tim Haas of Haas & Associates on engineering.

Orlich said public hearings will be held to get ideas at 6 p.m. March 5 and March 19 in the park office in Washington Park.

Joe Doyle, city councilman and former park board president, said Patriot Park, just south of the city, was created to centralize sports league play as much as possible. "We wanted one location that could host adult and kid leagues," Doyle said. "It makes it easier for maintenance workers."

Doyle echoed Orlich's comment about drainage at Adams Park. "The drainage is horrendous," he said.

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

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Patriot Park, just south of the city, was created to centralize sports league play as much as possible. "We wanted one location that could host adult and kid leagues," Doyle said. "It makes it easier for maintenance workers."

Should that be our guiding principle for parks and recreation? How about making it easily accessible for the kids that want to play there?

[Southsider2k12]

Should that be our guiding principle for parks and recreation? How about making it easily accessible for the kids that want to play there?

That area could totally use a neighborhood park. I think the idea of an older person with transportation going out to Patriot makes more sense than a 10 year old.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=47208.89

2nd Adams Park hearing set for Thursday

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The second of two public hearings on the future of Adams Park will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday in the park office in Washington Park.

The hearing will follow the regular meeting of the park board at 5 p.m.

Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Jan Orlich said the hearing will be held to get ideas on what improvements residents think are needed at the park, located on Southwind Drive on the city's South Side. She said the March 5 hearing had a low turnout, but residents took questionnaires to distribute in the Southgate neighborhood to those unable to attend the meeting.

Orlich hopes some questionnaires will be returned and that others in the neighborhood will turn out for Thursday's hearing.

"We hope to receive a little more participation and input in the meeting," Orlich said.

The Parks Department staff has come up with some potential ideas, including development of a walking trail, a field for Pop Warner teams and a pavilion. Orlich wants to find out how often area residents use the park, what they think of its appearance and what they think about possible improvements.

The top priority will be to remedy the park's poor drainage. The city has budgeted $450,000 for improvements to Adams Park.

Those who would like to complete an online questionnaire can do so at www.michigancityparks.com. Questionnaires need to be completed and returned to the Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department by Thursday, April 2. To return by regular mail, send to: Michigan City Parks & Recreation, 6 on the Lake, Michigan City, IN 46360.

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=47310.91

City mulls Adams Park options

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department called on residents of the Southgate neighborhood last month to weigh in how to spend a budgeted $450,000 to improve Adams Park.

They responded by submitting 77 questionnaires. Kenn Kraus, of Haas & Associates, told the Park Board on Thursday that all of the ideas proposed in the questionnaire received high marks. Suggestions were made for an additional park entrance and more activities for all ages.

"The biggest negative was the general appearance of the park," Kraus said. "Sixty-seven percent said it was poor."

Haas & Associates was hired to draw up a proposed plan for an Adams Park makeover, based on possibilities identified earlier by park superintendent Jan Orlich and staff members. They suggested adding a walking trail, a pavilion, more playground equipment and refurbishing the basketball courts.

The big question mark is what to do with the two ball fields at Adams Park.

Right now, baseball events are scheduled four days a week on both diamonds, according to recreation director Jeremy Kienitz. Park board members discussed the merits of improving the ball fields or moving them to Patriot Park, which has replaced Adams Park as the city's premier recreational facility.

"We need to make a commitment to improving the ball parks at Adams or moving them to Patriot Park," said Shannon Eason of the park department. "We don't want to invest money in Adams Park fields and, in two or three years, complete Patriot Park." Orlich said the neighboring community prefers not to use Adams Park for organized recreational leagues because the leagues create noise. She said if the ball fields are moved to Patriot Park, a sand lot field with a backstop could be maintained at Adams Park.

"I feel we should move in that direction," Orlich told the board. "If we moved all the organized sports to Patriot Park, there would be a need to irrigate it, if we want Patriot to continue to be a premier sports facility."

Kraus said decisions also need to be made about the number of basketball courts and whether they might be used for 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. These decisions determine how much of the large parking lot will be needed.

The next step in pushing the Adams Park project forward will be an April 23 meeting between the parks department and the city council parks and recreation committee to review the costs of moving the two ball diamonds compared to renovating the ones in Adams Park. Ultimately, the city council must approve the costs.

"We need to work out a lot of the details," Kraus said.

Kraus will present a first draft of a master plan for Adams Park at the May 7 park board meeting and hopes to have the final plan ready by June 4.

During board comments, member Phil Freese said, "I want to thank the people in the Adams Park vicinity. It was a great response (to the survey) and they truly are interested in their neighborhood park."